A hard decision
by Delorita
Summary: Face is leaving. But does he really want to? Slash.


**A/N:** Written for "ateam_prompts" at LJ: Ep. related: Alive at Five (S5) Prompts: Did Face really want to leave? Did Face only say he made up his mind to keep appearance? Did he hope they would try to talk him out of it? After all they are his family and he has no one if he leaves. Was he hurt enough by them not even trying to talk him out of it to walk away? After the briefing with Stockwell Hannibal asks Face when he is leaving? Does he take Face for granted, knowing he has nowhere to go and therefore will always come back? Does Face want to do one last mission or is he not ready to go; wanting to give the Team a chance to change their mind and go with him?

o0o0o0o

Murdock stays hidden and watches Face walk away all on his own.

Silent tears roll down the pilot's cheeks, and he wipes them away angrily. Angry at himself. Angry for not doing more to convince Face to stay.

Fifteen years. FIFTEEN years on the run! And Nam before that…

And now his best friend walks away. Just like that.

He was probably fed up with them, couldn't bear the way they'd treated him during the last few months anymore. Tried not to care.

But Murdock can see how much Face wants them to come after him.

Can see it by the way he turns now and then, can see it by the way he tries to be carefree but fails miserably. Can see it by the way he combs his hands through his hair nervously.

As his tears run free and he's about to run after Face, he feels a hand on his shoulder, squeezing.

"Fool will come back. Ain't anywhere for him to go," BA growls.

Murdock turns now Face has left his line of sight. "We've been pretty mean to him lately haven't we?"

BA sighs but says nothing, and pulls the pilot towards the stranger's house by the elbow. They probably have. Damn it. But for now they have a job to do.

And without knowing it, Face helps them to escape, by running into them and their captor a few moments later. He wants to warn them about the police, wants to ensure that they're all right…

He doesn't stay long though. His decision is made. When they stop for food and gas, he tries again. "Listen guys, I'm gonna take off. A girl friend of mine lives just down the road and I'm gonna see if she can give me a ride into…"

"Come on, let me at least buy you a cup of coffee to go…" Murdock sounds almost desperate. He clearly doesn't want Face to leave.

"No, no, no. Thanks, Murdock really, but I better be goin'… Ciao!" That's the conman's ego speaking. He can't stay now after he said he'd go. "What are you staring at? Look, you make me feel like a Rockwell painting. Will you quit staring?" And those are his last words before he turns away. Not friendly. Upset, but determined.

And Murdock can't stop staring. In fact he wants to run after his friend, pull him around, make him stop, enfold him into a bear hug and never let him go out of his sight again. He suddenly becomes aware that he needs his friend like the air for breathing. That he'd suffocate if Face is gone.

He'd lived without him in the past. Yes. Back when he was in the VA. But Face either visited him quiet often or got him out, always with an entertaining scam, at least once a week.

Murdock somehow wants that time in L.A. back…

Face snuggles closer towards that warm body beside him, sighs contentedly. Arms encircle him possessively, and his head is tugged under Murdock's chin, "I refuse to let you go ever again. You hear me, Facey?"

A head nod rubs against his bare chest, accompanied by an equally contented sigh. "If you had told me earlier, HM…"

"I couldn't, 'cause I didn't know myself." Murdock rolls them over. "I thought you'd always be there by my side, as my friend…" He bends and kisses the man beneath him gently, "It never occurred to me that something like I_this/I_ could happen." They smile at each other. Face pulls the pilot's head down, entangling his fingers in the curls on the other man's neck, teasing the inviting mouth with his tongue.

"Didn't occur to me either."

But their bodies had finally spoken.

After they'd saved Brick's life, and Hannibal had welcomed Face back in a fatherly manner (of course, the Colonel didn't seem to have any doubt that Face would ever leave for real), Murdock had hugged the Lieutenant harder than ever before and, accidentally, their groins bumped and erections were suddenly greeting each other.

They barely made it to a nearby hotel room and were all over each other within seconds, tearing clothes off, trying to kiss in between, falling on the almost too small bed together, hands never leaving each other's bodies. Mouths, lips and tongues continuously touching, licking, sucking. Bodies rubbing heatedly together, frantic hands massaging long neglected nipples, balls and cocks. Heavy sighs and groans filled the air. Sweat was pooling on their skin. The new and exciting passion took them higher and higher until they were floating, climaxes hitting simultaneously before their brains could think it through for even one split second.

Now they lie somehow clueless in each other's arms. It's Face's turn to tug Murdock's head beneath his chin. "I could get used to this, you know," he admits very softly. Murdock's hand slides slowly across Face's smooth skin on his stomach. "Me too." The hand travels across a thigh and back up across Face's side, "I think I'm in love with you… Templeton, I just didn't realise…"

"Love you too, HM," Face sighs, drawing circles across the other man's back. "I won't leave. We'll find a way around Stockwell, don't you think?"

Murdock's pressing tiny kisses on Face's chest, and up his exposed throat, his chin, the corners of his mouth, growling. "He won't take you away from me, babe." And that wicked gleam sparkles in his eye. "We, you and me, need to convince our real Boss that we need a plan to get away from the General. I'm pretty sure we can manage, especially when we have Bosco on our side."

F I N


End file.
